Senior Manager - AI Governance Technology Products & Transformation

JOB TITLE: Senior Manager - AI Assurance Technology Products & Transformation

LOCATION: Bangalore, India

ABOUT UNILEVER
With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.
At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

About the Role

As AI adoption accelerates across Unilever spanning GenAI, Embedded AI, Agentic AI, and complex multi-model architectures there is a strong imperative for a robust & enterprise-scale AI Assurance. AI Assurance is the critical safeguard that enables Unilever to innovate with confidence, ensuring AI systems are safe, ethical, compliant, and aligned with business objectives at every stage of the lifecycle.

The Senior Manager – AI Assurance Technology Products & Transformation is responsible for defining and driving the long-term vision, strategy, and transformation of Unilever’s AI Assurance technology products. This role operates at the intersection of technology strategy, responsible AI governance, risk management, and product delivery. The identified person will lead the design and execution of Unilever’s AI assurance technology products, build scalable operating models, and drive systemic transformation across the AI governance lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

1.  Enterprise AI Assurance Strategy & Vision

• Define and own the strategy for AI Assurance Technology Products & Transformation, aligned to Unilever’s broader AI, data, and digital strategy, responsible AI principles, and evolving global regulatory landscape.

• Design the strategic blueprint for assurance tooling, automation, and platform capabilities required to deliver a fast, touchless, risk-proportionate assurance system at enterprise scale.

• Translate strategic intent into actionable, time-bound transformation programmes with clear OKRs, benefit realisation plans, and executive-level reporting.

2.  AI Assurance Technology Product Ownership

• Own end-to-end product strategy, roadmap, and delivery for Unilever’s AI Assurance technology products.

• Lead the design of scalable technology solutions that embed assurance natively into AI development and deployment workflows, enabling left-shifted governance and continuous risk management throughout the AI lifecycle.

• Define product vision and requirements in close collaboration with stakeholders (AI Innovation, AI CoE, Cyber etc.), ensuring assurance tools are scalable, automated, and aligned to the vision of AI Governance.

3.  Large-Scale Transformation & Delivery Excellence

• Lead enterprise-wide transformation of AI governance processes across the full AI lifecycle from ideation and risk classification through assessment, approval, deployment, and post-deployment monitoring embedding assurance as a seamless, automated part of AI lifecycle.

• Define and enforce governance and assurance standards for third-party AI vendors, SaaS providers, and embedded AI components, ensuring compliance-by-design and lifecycle oversight across the external AI supply chain.

• Oversee end-to-end programme delivery for AI Assurance transformation initiatives, ensuring on-time, on-budget, high-quality execution across different workstreams/ initiatives.

• Establish robust delivery governance, including programme steering, risk escalation, and quality assurance mechanisms, ensuring consistent execution standards across all AI Assurance programmes.

• Drive organisational change management, building AI Assurance capability and culture across technology, business, and leadership teams globally.

4.  Stakeholder Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Act as the primary senior interface for AI Assurance across Unilever’s global technology, business, and executive leadership communities, building trust and alignment on assurance strategy and risk posture.

• Continuously monitor global AI regulatory, industry, and technology advancements, converting insights into product requirements, platform enhancements, and embedded assurance capabilities within AI systems.

• Act as a strategic thought partner to product, engineering, and business leaders on AI governance decisions, responsible AI trade-offs, and risk mitigation strategies.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field; MBA or postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline highly desirable.

• 15+ years of progressive experience in technology leadership, AI/ML, risk management, assurance, or related domains.

• Expertise in AI/ML technologies including GenAI, LLMs, Agentic AI, Embedded AI, and multimodal systems.

• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale digital or AI transformation programmes, including change management, and large-scale delivery governance.

• Demonstrated ability to build, own, and deliver technology products, platforms, or tooling solutions at enterprise scale.

• Exceptional executive stakeholder management and influencing skills, with proven experience engaging at senior level.

• Outstanding communication and leadership skills with a high bias for action and growth mindset.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

• CARE DEEPLY: We care about how consumers experience our brands, the growth and development of our people, and their impact on the planet. We emphasize the importance of performance and care, moving from ambiguity about success to fairness and transparency. 

• FOCUS ON WHAT COUNTS: We prioritize what truly matters, setting clear and stretching goals. We aim to shift from having everything as a priority to focusing on fewer, bigger things that are delivered to conclusion and are being rewarded. 

• STAY THREE STEPS AHEAD: We encourage bold and creative thinking to make breakthroughs in performance. We focus on anticipating and staying ahead of consumer needs and external trends, shifting from reacting to leading, shaping, and disrupting the market. 

• DELIVER WITH EXCELLENCE: The emphasis is on delivering everything with excellence and pace, taking personal ownership, and holding each other accountable. We aim to shift from pride in thinking to pride in execution, developing breakthrough solutions and ensuring the best outcomes. 

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 

• Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.